some random thoughts and quotes about organised (and disorganised) science

Thursday, 27 September 2012

the end of the world as we know it?

I don’t think so. Not this year anyway. Instead, we have the next bestworst£!@#$%* thing. Today, the Spanish government announced its austerity budget. Which, as you may have guessed, is not a good news. Especially for those with even a passing interest in schooling.

The spending on education was not that great in the first place; how cutting it any further can help to plug the hundred-billion-euro hole? I know. One does not choose to be a teacher because it is a well-paid job, right? That means, to save some money, you have to sack thousands of teachers, rather than a dozen or so of bank CEOs.

Will they ever start to learn? That is not very likely. Stupid — I repeat, stupid — austerity measures will not get Spain out of crisis. Far from cutting, they should start investing in education. Furthermore... But I guess I could as well stop here and now: anybody who sometimes takes time off to think can continue the argument.